Report: Hornets to unveil new nickname, colors

The New Orleans franchise is expected to formally announce its new Pelicans nickname and reveal team colors and logos on Thursday, according to Yahoo Sports.

The nickname change will take place before the start of next season. The team's color scheme reportedly will be blue, gold and red.

When the franchise relocated from Charlotte in 2002 after Tom Benson purchased the team from George Shinn, the Hornets nickname didn't change. But Benson has wanted a name more closely tied to the region.

The pelican is Louisiana's state bird. A New Orleans minor-league baseball team also carried the nickname from 1889 to 1959.

The other names under consideration were Mosquitos, Swamp Dogs, Bullsharks and Rougarou.